Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Violence ages children's DNA, shortens their chromosomes

By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY

Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence leaves longterm scars on children's bodies — not just in bruises on the skin, but also altering their DNA, causing changes that are equivalent to seven to 10 years of premature aging.

Scientists measured this cellular aging by studying the ends of children's chromosomes, called telomeres, according to Idan Shalev, lead author of a study in today's Molecular Psychiatry. Telomeres are special DNA sequences that act like the plastic tips on shoelaces, which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from unraveling. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell can't divide anymore and it dies.

Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as early life maltreatment and taking care of a chronically ill person. In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children's telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner; physical maltreatment by an adult; or bullying. Researchers measured the children's telomeres — in cells obtained by swabbing the insides of their cheeks — at ages 5 and 10.

Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev, a post-doctoral researcher at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy in Durham, N.C. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers. Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction are three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.

The study confirms a small-but-growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood adversity imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School. In a 2011 study, Nelson and colleagues found shorter telomeres in Romanian children who had spent more time in institutions, compared with children sent to foster care.

"We know that toxic stress is bad for you," says Nathan Fox, a professor of human development at the University of Maryland and co-author of the 2011 paper. "This paper provides a mechanism by which this type of stress gets 'under the skin' and into the genes."

Bloomington Illinois Divorce Attorney -- Jon D. McLaughlin

I grew up in Provo, Utah, but moved to Oklahoma in order to finish my bachelor’s degree in philosophy and ancient greek at Oklahoma State University. I then attended law school at the University of Illinois. While in law school, I was an Associate Editor of a journal published by the university. Also during this time, I worked for law firms in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Indianapolis, Indiana, and for the Honorable Joe McDade (a Federal Judge, sitting in Peoria).

While still in law school, the Illinois Supreme Court allowed me to practice law and represent clients under Rule 711. This allowed me to gain valuable experience, early on, that has served me well in my subsequent practice.

After law school, I moved to Bloomington, Illinois, and have been practicing law here since that time. While I have handled business transactions and litigation in the past, some involving more than $10,000,000, I now limit my practice to family law matters. I handle divorce, custody, child support, visitation, and other matters that require the court’s attention. I have had much success in getting my clients promising results because of my firm and aggressive approach.

I am a Guardian ad Litem, which means that the courts appoint me to investigate child custody, visitation, and other matters. These appointments have helped me become a better advocate for children and to toughen my position in fighting for my clients.

I am a Mediator, approved by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Illinois, to conduct court-ordered Custody Mediation for parties who are in the midst of custody and/or visitation disputes in the Bloomington-Normal area. In addition to being certified to mediate custody and visitation issues, I am also certified to mediate financial issues in divorce and family law cases in McLean County. These issues include Child Support, Maintenance (Alimony), the assets and debts of the parties, and other matters relating to the financial side of family law cases. I am also a member of the Mediation Council of Illinois. Due to my experience in the area, I am able to advise my clients as to how they can achieve the best results in mediation. In the Eleventh Circuit, mediation is mandatory in visitation and custody disputes. Therefore, it is important to be well-advised when participating in mediation and negotiating a possible resolution to your case.

The majority of my cases are tried in McLean County; however, I also practice in other surrounding counties.